The present invention relates to computer input devices, and more particularly to a keyboard mounted cursor controller for use in moving a cursor on a video display screen.
Various types of cursor controllers are known in the art, including joysticks and mouse devices. A joystick is a control having a lever which can be pivoted to cover an area defined along x-y coordinates. The motion of a joystick is the same as that obtained from a ball joint. Joystick controllers have been used extensively in video games. Examples of joystick controllers are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,786,689, 4,161,726, and 4,459,578.
A mouse is a form of cursor controller which is held in the user's hand and pushed along a tabletop. The movement of the mouse with respect to the tabletop is parrotted by the cursor on the video display terminal. An example of a mouse controller is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,652.
Joystick controls are generally bulky and are therefore not easy to build into a low profile computer keyboard. Further, even if a joystick were built into a keyboard, the resulting product would probably not be aesthetically appealing. Thus, such controls are usually found as separate components apart from the computer keyboard.
Similarly, mouse devices are separate from the keyboard of the computer with which they are used, and are often complex and costly.
It would be advantageous to provide a cursor controller that is built into a computer keyboard. Such a controller must be dimensionally able to fit within the keyboard while providing precise and reliable operation. Further, it would be advantageous for such a controller to be economical and lend itself to mass production assembly.
The present invention relates to such a keyboard cursor controller.